Pictured (left to right): Allean Rose – FCCLA Club Member, Michelle Williams, FCCLA Sponsor at Thomas Hunter Middle School, Shannon Hodges – MPNN CSB Emergency Services Coordinator and Abigail Henry – FCCLA Club Member.
Shannon Hodges, Emergency Services Coordinator for Middle Peninsula Northern Neck Community Services Board, (pictured second from right), received Sensory Support Backpacks from members of the Thomas Hunter Middle School FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) in Mathews County.
These backpacks are one of the FCCLA service projects for this school year. The MPNN BH will distribute these backpacks to the three hospitals in their ten-county community; VCU Health Center in Tappahannock, Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in Gloucester and Rappahannock General Hospital in Kilmarnock.
The backpacks will be used for children, teens and adults suffering with stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease experiencing a behavioral health crisis who are in the hospital Emergency Departments. They can also be used for individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
As a result of the creative and diligent efforts of Abigail Henry and Allean Rose, FCCLA Club Members, 15 children’s bags, 15 teen bags and 5 elderly bags were donated. Multi-sensory objects are one effective way to provide children and adults in crisis some calm and comfort.
To increase the number of available backpacks in the local Emergency Rooms, contributions can be sent to Thomas Hunter Middle School FCCLA, PO Box 339, Mathews, VA 23109, with a note “Backpack Project” or purchased through https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/279JOT8QY7N2O?ref-=wl-share
The Middle Peninsula Northern Neck Community Services Board was founded in 1974 and provides a continuum of services for individuals diagnosed with a mental health disorder, substance use disorder and developmental disability throughout the counties of the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck.
